That First Step of Faith.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. [0:10] Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] This is your first time here. [0:12] My name is Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church, and as always, I am thankful [0:16] and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:18] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Joshua chapter 3.

[0:22] We’re going to be starting in verse 1 this morning. [0:25] But I ever told you the story of my mother, the prophet? [0:28] I told you that story. [0:31] Well, when my parents were dropping me off for college, it was a Christian college because [0:36] that’s where all good boys go, and that’s what I did. [0:39] But when my parents were dropping me off, they were leaving, and so they were abandoning

[0:44] the greatest gift God ever gave them. [0:47] And so they were just very, very sad because they wouldn’t wake up to my beautiful face [0:52] every morning. [0:54] You’d be lucky to have a son like me. [0:57] But as they were about to get in the truck and leave, my mother looks at me and she [1:03] told me, she said, you know what you need to do?

[1:04] And I said, what? [1:05] Probably said it in sarcastic way, as is my way. [1:09] And and she said, you need to get you some preaching tapes. [1:12] Now, I don’t know if you know what a tape is, but back in the 80s and 90s, they were [1:17] these cassettes that you would listen to audio on. [1:20] And my mother told me, she said, you need to get you some preaching tapes now.

[1:23] Now, at this point, it makes sense. [1:25] But I will tell you, at that point, such a statement to me made absolutely no sense. [1:30] I was not at a place where I was looking for necessarily what God wanted me to do [1:34] with my life. I was just looking for what I wanted me to do with my life. [1:38] And I wanted to have the most fun doing it, as most 18 year olds do. [1:42] But in her prophetic wisdom, she said, you need to get you some preaching tapes.

[1:47] Now, I tell you that story because years and years later, I live my life making [1:52] preaching tapes for my mother to listen to. [1:56] And so just that’s my way of saying Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mothers. [2:00] You have no idea the words that you speak over your children, what the result of that [2:05] might be. But all these years later, my mother was praying for me then. [2:08] She’s still praying for me now.

[2:10] And I’m thankful I might tell you a story about my wife if you come to the eleven thirty.

[2:17] No. OK.

[2:20] That’s my gift to her. [2:21] Happy Mother’s Day to you. [2:24] You know, over the past few weeks, we’ve been going through the first two chapters [2:28] of the book of Joshua. [2:30] Israel’s on the precipice of the promised land. [2:32] God had brought them out of Egypt through his redemptive hand, had led them through

[2:37] Moses to this point once before. [2:40] The generation previous had been on the banks of the Jordan, had been on the precipice [2:45] of the land. They were about to cross over into it, but they did not have the faith [2:50] to trust God to give it to them. [2:52] And so, of course, we know the discipline of the Lord fell on that entire generation. [2:56] They were led through what’s called the wandering years in the wilderness.

[3:00] And Israel wandered through the wilderness for 40 years, an entire generation [3:05] passed away. And now the next generation, the daughters and the sons of that generation [3:11] are poised to enter the promised land, to take hold of the promises of God to Israel. [3:16] But the question is, were they going to have the faith that they needed to go in [3:22] and take hold of the promises that God was making to Israel? [3:25] Because you have to take the life that God has designed for you to live.

[3:30] We’ve seen over the past several weeks that God blesses faith. [3:34] True faith actually changes you into a person of action, a person that sees [3:39] the promises of God, a person that hears the commands of God, and a person that [3:43] orders his or her life around those promises, around those commands. [3:48] Because when you trust God, you form a life around that trust to push you into [3:54] acting on what God has actually revealed and what God has called you into.

[3:58] Both Joshua 3 and 4 cover Israel crossing over the Jordan River, which served as a [4:04] geographical marker of the promised land. [4:06] Because once they promised over the river, they would begin to take hold of the land. [4:12] So crossing the river would actually be an act of faith that demanded that they trust [4:17] God enough to believe not only that they could cross over the Jordan, but that they [4:22] actually could take the land that God had promised on the other side.

[4:26] Because friends understand that once they crossed the river, that was no small act, [4:30] rather that was an act of faith because that was going to be seen by any country that [4:35] on the other side of that water as an act of aggression, as it was an entire nation [4:39] crossing over into their land, crossing the border of those nations that already [4:44] inhabited it. But it was through obeying God that they were going to see the [4:49] trustworthiness of God to deliver on every single promise that he had made.

[4:55] And I hope to tell you this morning that the same God that delivered the promised [5:00] land to the nation of Israel is the same God that gave you the gospel of Jesus Christ [5:05] for you to define and for you to live your very life around. [5:10] I want to begin reading in verse one, said, then Joshua rose early in the morning, as [5:15] all good men do.

[5:19] And they set out, let the hearer understand some of you. [5:23] I guess I need to pause some of you young and sleep in. [5:27] All right, cut that out. [5:28] You want the promise of God? [5:30] Get up. And they set out from Shittim and they came to the Jordan. [5:35] He and all the people of Israel and lodged there before they passed over.

[5:39] At the end of three days, the officers went around the camp and commanded the [5:44] people. As soon as you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, your God being [5:48] carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and [5:53] follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it about 2000 cubits in [5:58] length. Do not come near it in order that you may know the way you shall go, [6:03] for you have not passed this way before.

[6:05] Then Joshua said to the people, consecrate yourselves. [6:10] Now, this is a very important part of the passage. [6:12] Don’t forget this. Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow. [6:17] The Lord will do wonders among you. [6:20] What you understand, number one, this morning, obedience to God is never wasted. [6:25] Obedience to God is never wasted because obedience is ultimately about trust.

[6:32] You willfully and joyfully follow the lead of those that you deem trustworthy. [6:36] I mean, that should be common sense for you. [6:39] I mean, as a parent, that is something that you learn very quickly. [6:42] I bribe my children. I bribe them frequently. [6:45] It’s perfectly legal. Don’t worry. [6:46] But I frequently bribe my children.

[6:48] If you don’t bribe your children, then you’re a fool. [6:50] I believe that you’re an absolute fool because [6:54] children are called to put their trust in their parents. [6:58] But here’s what I want you to understand. [7:00] I want my children to understand that life and obedience to me [7:04] is better than life in disobedience to me.

[7:08] And so I ensure or seek to ensure rather that I’m cultivating the type of household, [7:13] I’m cultivating the type of life in my household, the type of atmosphere in my household. [7:18] They truly have tangible ways they can look at what I have to offer, [7:23] at what I have to give into their lives, at the joyful atmosphere, [7:26] the happy atmosphere, the gifts of all of the things that I give into their lives, [7:31] that they look to me and they say life following you

[7:35] is better than anything anyone else has to offer me. [7:40] And some of the reason that some of you struggle with your children [7:43] is because you do nothing to ensure that they believe life [7:47] following you is better than life not following you. [7:51] The nation of Israel had to trust that their joyful obedience, [7:58] their willful obedience to God was going to give them a better life

[8:05] than disobedience to God was going to give them. [8:08] But here’s the deal. [8:09] God worked through history to show them, yes, if you follow me, yes, [8:12] if you trust me, yes, if you obey me, then you are going to have the blessings [8:18] of God’s hand into your life for all of your life. [8:22] The fact of the matter is, is that some of you aren’t cultivating an atmosphere

[8:26] where you make yourself into a joy-filled, trustworthy person for your children. [8:32] And here’s the problem with that is that that is why so many young people grow up [8:36] giving their love, giving their affection, giving their trust over to people [8:41] that don’t deserve it and shouldn’t have it [8:45] because they don’t know what it is to have joy in faith, [8:49] joy in trust, joy in their obedience.

[8:53] And that’s my responsibility as a father is to form that type of household [8:57] for my children. [8:59] They don’t have to do it. I have to do it. [9:03] And of course, this is the calling of God on the life of every follower [9:06] of Jesus Christ. [9:07] You know, it is not a Christian thing to say that I do the right thing

[9:10] because it’s the right thing. [9:12] That’s an atheistic reality. [9:15] Morality doesn’t terminate on itself. [9:18] We obey Jesus because of the reward that Jesus has to offer us. [9:23] We obey God because of the reward that falls on the other side of obedience [9:27] to him. We obey God because we believe that there is joy

[9:31] set before us in our obedience. [9:33] And I know that all of you, even if subconsciously you believe this, [9:37] because I haven’t met a single Christian who told me they didn’t want to go to heaven. [9:41] What do you think heaven is going to be? [9:42] My understanding of it’s going to be pretty nice. [9:45] My understanding is going to be quite a reward.

[9:49] And so we follow Jesus. [9:51] We obey God. [9:53] We apply the precepts of scripture to our lives [9:57] because of the reward of God that lays on the other side of our obedience. [10:02] And that is exactly what God wants us to have, [10:06] not a begrudging faithfulness to him.

[10:08] Rather, God wants us to trust him to the extent that we know [10:13] that what he will give into our lives is better than what anyone else [10:18] is going to give into our lives. [10:20] That’s the point of Joshua one all the way over to Joshua three. [10:24] Is God telling them, if you will follow me, I will bless you. [10:31] Then in verse one, we see moving day has arrived.

[10:35] This is the day they’ve been preparing for. [10:37] And now is when they will move to understand what’s happening here. [10:41] It’s vital that you understand verse three. [10:45] We see starting in verse three, a series of commands [10:48] that you need to follow the Ark of the Covenant. [10:50] Don’t get too close to the Ark of the Covenant.

[10:52] Don’t get too far behind the Ark of the Covenant. [10:54] Don’t get in front of the Ark of the Covenant, because if you watch the Ark, [10:58] you’re going to be able to see everywhere that God is leading you. [11:01] And then it gets to verse five where he says, consecrate yourselves. [11:06] To consecrate means you set it apart. [11:10] To consecrate yourself literally means I am setting myself apart

[11:14] for the purposes of God that he is going to do in my life. [11:18] But then look at the promise behind the command. [11:21] He says, consecrate yourself, because tomorrow God is going to do wonders for you. [11:30] Note the order. [11:31] The obedience comes before the wonder. [11:35] God says, obey me, and you are going to see wonders.

[11:39] Friend, life boils down to the commands that you either obey or you disobey. [11:45] It’s difficult, but it’s not complicated. [11:48] Your life will be determined by your level of obedience to God. [11:51] Understand that the moment of faith in Jesus Christ, even that very first [11:56] faith that you have, is an act ultimately of obedience. [12:01] He tells you, call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

[12:06] That is an imperative. [12:09] That is a command. [12:11] So even the very first moment of faith is an obedient moment [12:15] to the call of God in your life. [12:18] That’s why even if subconsciously, so many Christians struggle [12:22] with an ancient heresy, even if you don’t know the name of the heresy,

[12:27] many of you are plagued by it. [12:28] It’s called antinomianism. [12:30] Anti against nomos, the word of God, or that’s translated against the law of God. [12:38] That your life is spent not following the law of God. [12:43] And it happens in Christianity because so many believe that since Jesus died for my sin, [12:48] since he has given me a new forgiven life, then there is no obedience

[12:53] expected of me in this life. [12:56] Friends, that’s foolish. [12:58] Nothing in the scripture would lead you to such a notion because that would [13:01] ultimately mean that obedience is a waste of time. [13:06] That is a lie. [13:07] And ultimately it is a lie about God because God’s law is not arbitrary.

[13:15] The commands that God give us are purposeful. [13:18] They’re not arbitrary in any way. [13:20] God is not a cosmic hall monitor in heaven with a clipboard, with a bunch of [13:25] arbitrary rules written down where he looks at your life and he says, oh, you [13:30] followed this one up, didn’t follow that one. [13:33] No, God’s law is purpose filled.

[13:35] God’s law is for our joy. [13:38] Obedience to God is always a gateway into the life that God has designed for you to [13:43] have because I don’t know if you know this or not, but God knows more about you [13:47] than you know about you. [13:49] You cannot be trusted to define your design. [13:52] Only God can be trusted to define our design.

[13:55] We see that, of course, in the chaos of the world that’s happening around us, where [13:59] so many are throwing off the design of God and seeking a redefinition. [14:03] And we see what the culmination of that is forming in our society. [14:07] Absolute chaos, absolute pain, joylessness and disability for the rest of your days [14:14] when you throw off the design of God.

[14:18] It’s like if a parent, you do not sit while your child takes a metal fork running [14:25] towards an outlet, telling yourself, well, I’ve got to let them find their own way. [14:31] Well, we’ll just see how this works out. [14:35] I’ve got to let them learn the lesson. [14:38] Friend, if you do that, you might not love your children for no, you slap the hand, [14:43] you take the fork, you stop them from elect, they’re electrocuting themselves.

[14:47] Why? [14:47] Because you love your child because your command. [14:51] Do not stick a fork in an outlet. [14:55] It’s not arbitrary because you know what the result is going to be, even if they don’t [15:01] know what the result is going to be. [15:03] The same is for the law of God.

[15:06] God didn’t arbitrarily make commands. [15:08] Do this, don’t do that. [15:10] Rather, God gave commands because he knows what he designed us for. [15:14] And he knows that life in obedience to him is better than life in disobedience to him. [15:21] In Deuteronomy, Chapter 28, God spoke through Moses to tell the nation of Israel that [15:26] they should obey him because obedience brings blessing.

[15:29] He says, if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do [15:33] all of his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high [15:39] above all the nations of the earth. [15:40] And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you obey the voice of [15:48] the Lord your God. [15:50] In Hebrew language there, when he says that it’s going to overtake you, it’s a word

[15:55] picture that is like a wave overtaking a person in an ocean. [15:59] It is a deluge of blessings. [16:03] And I know some of you brainiacs out there, you may retort, but that’s the Old Testament. [16:10] Well, friend, in John 14, 21, Jesus states that if you love him, it will cultivate a [16:16] life of obedience to him. [16:18] But note what he says on the back end.

[16:21] And he who loves me will be loved by my father. [16:26] Can you imagine a greater blessing than that? [16:29] And I will love him and manifest myself to him. [16:34] Blessing upon blessing upon blessing through what? [16:38] Obedience.

[16:40] Luke 11, 28, Jesus states that God’s blessings come to people who hear the word of God and [16:47] what? Keep it. [16:49] Keep it literally means obey. [16:53] You see, friends, this obedience is purpose filled. [16:57] Its obedience is necessary because faith in Jesus Christ transforms the Christian into [17:03] a person who wants to reorient life around God’s commands because you trust that life

[17:11] with him is greater than life apart from him. [17:15] Life obeying God, friends, is more blessed than life disobeying God. [17:22] And that just makes sense. [17:25] It’s simply a biblical truth. [17:28] It’s so simple because that’s how God designed us. [17:32] God in this passage was going to bless Israel through their obedience to walk, through

[17:39] their obedience to take. [17:40] And here’s the beauty of this passage, that first step into the Jordan. [17:48] Friends, John Calvin once wrote, we cannot rely on God’s promises without obeying his [17:56] commands.

[17:59] You need to understand that’s why disobedience is always a waste.

[18:05] Disobedience is the fastest route to wasting your life that I could ever imagine. [18:10] And we love to pacify people in their sin. [18:13] We love to give people therapy about their sin, and we do that to the detriment of their [18:18] very lives. [18:19] We love to make people feel better about the sin that they are struggling with so that [18:24] they won’t feel bad about themselves while they’re sitting and that which is going to

[18:28] condemn them into hell for all eternity. [18:31] And we must stop doing that. [18:34] Sin is a waste of time. [18:37] Sin is a waste of your life. [18:41] Every moment that you spend in disobedience to the word of God is a moment where you are [18:48] willfully choosing, I will waste my life.

[18:56] And we have to stop pretending it’s anything else. [19:01] The temptation to sin always brings with it a lie that you will experience more blessing [19:08] apart from God than you will experience in obedience to God. [19:13] And that, of course, is the lie of hell. [19:16] And I know that in the hundreds that will be gathered here today, it is the lie that [19:20] many of you believe and many of you are pursuing.

[19:24] I mean, think about it. [19:26] Many of you have fantasies and dreams of a life in disobedience to God.

[19:33] It inhabits even the fantasies that you have because you believe that it will lead to [19:38] more pleasure than life and obedience to God will lead you to. [19:43] Friends, that is simply unbelief.

[19:47] Disobedience to God is the opposite of faith. [19:49] It will lead you down nothing but a road to destruction. [19:53] And if disobedience will lead you down a road to destruction, how could you look at [19:57] it as anything other than a waste of life, a waste of your very being, a waste of the [20:04] very purpose for which God created you? [20:08] Because faith is about love for God that trusts him to the extent that you say, yes, I

[20:15] want to obey you. [20:17] Yes, I want to turn away from sin because your hand has blessing. [20:23] Through obedience, friends, love for God doesn’t just do the right thing because it’s [20:28] the right thing, because unbelievers can cultivate that level of commitment. [20:34] That’s not faith. [20:36] Christians must understand that our faith is built around the reward of God, because

[20:41] if you trust in Jesus Christ, we believe that it is better.

[20:46] Than that, which would lead us away from Christ, that is a reward of faith. [20:52] He determines, though, the reward through his promises in scripture. [20:56] And you take hold of those promises through joy-filled obedience and submission to his [21:01] design for life. [21:04] But number two, this morning, understand that God will give reminders of his [21:08] trustworthiness.

[21:09] And that’s one of my favorite things about God. [21:12] He doesn’t just say, do this, and the outcome is going to be great. [21:14] And then step away and say, you just got to trust me based on what I said. [21:20] That’s terrible leadership. [21:21] And God’s a great leader. [21:23] God not only makes the commands, but God cultivates atmospheres in the world where

[21:28] we can actually point to what he has done in real time and say, yeah, I know following [21:33] God is better because of what he did here, because of what he did there. [21:35] And you saw that last week through Rahab’s statement. [21:38] But note what happened starting in verse six.

[21:42] This is Joshua said to the priest, take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before [21:46] these people. [21:47] So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. [21:51] The Lord said to Joshua today, I will begin to exalt you in the sight of Israel. [21:54] And they will know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. [21:59] And as for you command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, when you come to

[22:03] the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan. [22:08] And Joshua said to the people of Israel, come here and listen to the words of the [22:11] Lord, your God. [22:12] And Joshua said, here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and [22:17] that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, [22:21] the Hivites, the parasites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Jebusites, some other

[22:26] sites I wasn’t even thinking of. [22:27] Verse 11, behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over [22:33] before you into the Jordan. [22:35] Now, therefore, take 12 men from the tribes of Israel and from the tribe of each man. [22:40] And when the souls of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of [22:45] all the earth shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall

[22:49] be cut off from flowing and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one [22:55] heap. So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the [22:59] priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing [23:04] the ark had come as far as the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were [23:09] dipped in the brink of the water. [23:11] Now, the Jordan overflows all the banks throughout the time of harvest on a pause

[23:17] there. There’s been a debate over the condition of the Jordan River at this point. [23:25] Some people have foolishly said that obviously someone had built a dam somewhere so [23:32] that the water wasn’t flowing down at that time. [23:34] Nothing in history would lead us to understand that. [23:37] Of course, obviously nothing in this text would lead us to understand it that way. [23:41] Verse 15 is important for the context here.

[23:44] At this time of year, the Jordan would often flood over the typical bank. [23:48] And that’s why it’s important that it says harvest, because, of course, the Jordan [23:51] River is still there. We still measure these things. [23:53] And during the harvest time, the Jordan River still overflows its banks and moves [23:59] extremely quickly from the mountains down even below sea level into what is called [24:05] the Dead Sea. Now it flows into the Dead Sea.

[24:08] And during the harvest time, the flow is so powerful that it creates a current that [24:15] would be extremely difficult for anyone to swim across, much less walk across and not [24:21] be overcome by the waters in the Jordan River. [24:25] Yet God tells the nation to cross it. [24:28] But note what is important for the trustworthiness of God here. [24:32] God says, I’ll go first.

[24:35] The Ark of the Covenant served at that point as a symbol to all of Israel of the presence [24:41] of God. If you don’t know about the wandering years of Israel, when they were wandering [24:45] through the wilderness, God went before them in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by [24:50] night. And then when they would set up the tabernacle, the very presence of God would [24:54] rest over the Holy of Holies. [24:56] And it’s a tangible reality for them.

[24:59] And so following after the presence of God is something that he had cultivated in the [25:04] nation for this very purpose. [25:06] Now he’s telling them through Joshua, who’s prophesying here that I am going to be in [25:11] the presence of the Ark of the Covenant and the priests will carry. [25:15] That’s why at the beginning of the chapter, he said, two thousand cubits behind. [25:20] He said, don’t get in front of it because God wanted to go before them.

[25:27] Friends, when God calls you to obedience, he always commands in light of his presence, [25:33] going before you. [25:35] But note also, there’s a second thing here where he called the leaders of Israel to [25:42] serve as ambassadors for God over Israel. [25:45] He tells Joshua, get 12 leaders, one leader from each tribe. [25:50] And those 12 leaders go behind the Ark of the Covenant and in front of the people.

[25:55] This is why leadership is a high calling. [25:58] Any move of faith puts a primary call and responsibility on leaders to exhibit their [26:05] own faithfulness for the sake of the people that are coming behind them. [26:10] The problem that many of you have is it from pastor to parent to friend. [26:17] You don’t realize the impact that your faithfulness has on those who are following you. [26:23] Everyone has someone watching them.

[26:26] And understand the very moments of faith that you think are a waste, you think that no [26:32] one is paying attention to that very step of faith that you take could serve as an [26:37] inspiration for someone else or many other people to take primary steps of faith in their [26:42] life as well. [26:44] That’s why your obedience is always going to be used by God. [26:49] Don’t be surprised that when those whom you are responsible for in this world don’t

[26:56] answer the call when they haven’t seen you answer the call of God. [27:01] Friends, when God moves, we must move with him for the sake of even the next generation, [27:10] because God is gracious to move for our trust. [27:15] And then he says to the nation, look at the Ark. [27:18] Now, we don’t have the Ark of the Covenant today. [27:20] According to the movie, The Raiders of the Lost Ark, it’s in a government facility

[27:24] somewhere. [27:25] Now, I don’t know if that’s true, but I can’t say it’s untrue. [27:29] OK, so we don’t know if Indy knew what he was talking about. [27:32] Now, that is a spoiler, but you’ve had like 40 years to see that movie. [27:36] So I don’t feel that bad at this point if you haven’t seen Raiders of the Lost Ark. [27:42] But friends, we have something better to look to.

[27:45] Hebrews, chapter 12, starting in verse two notes that we look to Jesus because he founded [27:51] and perfected our faith through the cross. [27:54] Says in verse three, consider him who endured even the hostility of sinners in the world, [28:01] in the culture. [28:02] Why? [28:03] So that you may not grow weary or faint hearted.

[28:09] When we are tempted to disobedience, the author of Hebrews says, keep your eyes on [28:13] Jesus and never look elsewhere. [28:17] Why? [28:19] So that you can stay faithful. [28:21] Friends, always keep your eyes on the gospel. [28:24] Because we look to the gospel for salvation, but not only salvation.

[28:29] We look to the gospel also for inspiration and Latin. [28:33] It’s called Christus Victor Christ, the victorious one over sin. [28:37] That is our salvation. [28:38] But he is also Christus exemplar Christ, the example who through his example shows [28:47] us what it is to endure in this world in faith. [28:50] And he echoed that promise from Joshua one in the Great Commission by saying he is going

[28:57] to be with us every step of the way. [29:01] Second Corinthians, three, three notes, the effectiveness of the work of Jesus in our [29:05] lives. [29:06] Paul speaking to the church at Corinth says, you show that you are a letter from Christ [29:10] delivered by us written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not on [29:17] tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.

[29:22] Friend, we don’t look to the Ark of the Covenant because the very presence of God is in our [29:27] lives now. [29:28] The Holy Spirit writes and I love the word picture here, writes the law of God on our [29:34] very hearts so that we will be able to follow God with great success in our lives as we [29:42] trust in Jesus Christ. [29:44] We don’t simply look to an external word.

[29:46] We look to the inner testimony of the very spirit of God in our lives. [29:51] Therefore, Christian, you must understand that the way that you walk through this life [29:55] serves as a testimony of how you are saying God is working in and through your life. [30:01] As Israel was called to cross the Jordan, so you are called to follow Jesus Christ into [30:07] all things to the great reward of God working through your everyday life, blessing your [30:15] life and giving you joy so that you can endure through this life with the promise of God’s

[30:23] kingdom of heaven after this life. [30:27] Friends understand every moment of obedience is used by God to deliver his promises. [30:34] Never a waste, never a waste. [30:38] Thirdly, this morning, understand God is always faithful to deliver his promises. [30:43] Have you noticed that’s a theme of the series? [30:45] God is always faithful to deliver his promises.

[30:51] One of the harder truths of life, and I think it is a hard truth, is the greater the obstacle, [30:57] the greater the victory. [30:59] The greater the obstacle, the greater the victory. [31:02] Let me say that one more time. [31:04] The greater the obstacle, the greater the victory. [31:08] And I believe that’s why some of you struggle to trust in God because you only trust him

[31:14] enough to cross over the tiny obstacles. [31:18] You only trust him enough when it’s a speed bump. [31:21] You only trust him enough that when you can see what’s on the other side of the obstacle, [31:28] you will follow him. [31:30] But do you trust him enough that when all you can see is an impenetrable wall in front of you, [31:39] do you trust him enough to follow him there?

[31:41] Do you trust him enough to follow him over? [31:45] Or sometimes, do you trust him enough to follow him through? [31:50] Because I’ll tell you, I try to kick down a lot of doors through faith in Jesus Christ [31:55] when I’m not always sure if God’s going to make it open for me. [32:00] But how will I ever know if I don’t wiggle the handle? [32:06] The problem that some of you have with some of the struggles that you have in your life,

[32:09] some of the sin that you are struggling with, some of the barriers that are really right in [32:15] front of you. And I’m not trying to minimize them. I know that they are huge barriers in your life [32:21] and you’re struggling hard. You do not possess the faith because you are so scared that the door is [32:30] locked that you won’t take that first step of faith just to try to turn the knob a little bit [32:37] to see if maybe God unlocked it for you. But I want more faith than that. [32:42] Sometimes even when it’s knocked, I give it a kick and then I give it another one

[32:46] because I want to see what God can do if I will trust him because I know that when the obstacle [32:54] is great, the reward on the other side is going to be even greater. And that’s what’s so beautiful [33:01] about the end of this passage. In verse 15, he says, and I would hate to have been the first [33:08] priest. You know that they drew straws because somebody had to be the first body that stepped [33:17] into the water. And I know these guys are just humans. Maybe they had greater faith than me. [33:23] And maybe I wouldn’t have been a Levitical priest, but if I was and I’m holding that handle,

[33:27] the Ark of the Coven, I’m looking around me and I’m like, all right, I’m taking a step. [33:32] All right, my foot’s getting a little wet. Boy, if he doesn’t part that water, we’re sunk.

[33:39] And so you think that way, but that’s what God required. But verse 16, it says, [33:46] when the priest’s feet hit the water, not before. Verses 14 and 15 are clear. It had to hit water. [33:56] That was a flowing rapid that was in the Jordan River at that point would have been a minimum [34:03] of a hundred feet wide right across from Jericho. But some people say that sometimes the flooding [34:08] would get so great. It was a mile wide and it was at minimum 12 feet deep. And so we know at the [34:15] time of harvest at Jericho, this was going to require faith. But it says in verse 16,

[34:20] the waters coming down from above, from up on the mountain stood and rose up in a heap very [34:28] far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarathon. And those flowing down toward the sea of the Arab, [34:35] the salt sea were completely cut off and the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the [34:42] priest bearing the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of [34:48] Jordan and all Israel passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the [34:56] Jordan. One of the amazing things here is it says those priests walked out and their feet got dry

[35:04] real quick. I’d love to have been one of those guys at that point. Not the point before that, [35:09] but at that point, as soon as you know it’s going to work out, you tend to feel better. All right. [35:14] It says those priests walked into the middle of the Jordan River and they stood there and the [35:18] people of Israel to get to the other side. Not only did they have to follow the presence of God, [35:23] they had to walk through the presence of God. Consecrate yourselves sounds silly until you know [35:31] you got to walk through the presence of God to get to the other side.

[35:36] God blessed every moment of faith, but God demanded full obedience before he gave the miracle.

[35:48] Friends, when you consecrate yourself through obedience, you will be amazed at the hand of God [35:54] moving in your life because God is not necessarily going to tell you how he is going to move because [36:04] he wants you to respond in faith. He just wants you to trust that he’s got it. He wants you to [36:12] trust him to the extent that if he says he’s going to move, you will move yourself as though he already [36:20] has because you trust him that much. But when you advance with the movement of God, just like [36:28] Joshua says, verse five, he will do wonders among you. Friend, I believe God is still doing this

[36:36] today. I don’t think he’s stopped moving. I don’t think he has stopped working at all. This is the [36:41] way that God moves throughout all of history. He uses steps of faith in order to secure the future [36:48] of his people. Then he moves in real time to make his will happen to the good of his people. I believe [36:57] that the problem with life is not that God doesn’t deliver on his promises today. [37:03] The problem is that many refuse to consecrate themselves for the purpose of obeying God. [37:10] Are you cultivating a life in which you obey God? When you don’t, you never experience the move of

[37:18] God because frankly, your life doesn’t necessitate a move from God. Friend, if you want to experience [37:26] the move of God, you have to start by moving with God because if you want the good, you’ve got to [37:33] follow God. It is that way. It’s always been that way. Romans 8.28 echoes this reality. [37:41] Text says many of you probably know it. We know that for those who love God, all things work [37:46] together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. I want to pause right there [37:51] because maybe you’ve misquoted this verse. Many people have. Note that the text doesn’t say

[37:58] all things work together for good. I can tell you right now, for some people, all things work [38:06] together for bad. The opposite of what scripture says is also true for some people. So if you [38:12] aren’t a person that loves God, if you aren’t a person who’s called according to his purpose, [38:19] understand that you have no promise that anything you ever do is going to work out for good. [38:23] There are two qualifiers here. First, love. You can define that as trust. You really can [38:31] because I don’t love somebody I don’t trust. Real affection, real love, real desire.

[38:38] You have to have it. But then secondly, those who are called according to what? His purpose. [38:45] Do you not understand that that’s obedience? I’m not called to any purpose that isn’t God’s. [38:54] Therefore, to be called according to his purpose is to align your life with his calling, [39:01] his commands. But he says, if you love me, if you are called by me, for me, [39:09] something I say all the time, it’s all good. [39:14] And it will be every step that I take in life when I walk in faith and obedience to the word of God,

[39:21] every affection of my heart that I have for the Jesus Christ who loved me enough to die for me.

[39:27] I know it’s all going to be good. Every step of it. Now understand, [39:34] God has this crazy way of not telling me how he’s going to do it.

[39:39] So sometimes in order to deliver the good, he takes me through some pretty low valleys.

[39:45] Sometimes the greatest outcome of my life comes through the hardest trial. [39:52] And you’re no different. The greatest outcome will sometimes come through the greatest trial. [39:59] But do you love him? Are you called by him? Are you living for his purpose?

[40:08] Friend, whatever it is that is happening in your life right now that you cry out to God [40:14] every night saying, I don’t want it to work out this way. I don’t want it to feel this way. [40:19] I didn’t sign up for this. That’s the way I pray. God, I didn’t sign up for this.

[40:26] But when I understand that it’s all going to work out for the good that God has defined for me,

[40:35] I say, you’ve got my life, God. I’ll obey you. Then verse 29 tells us what the good looks like. [40:43] Those whom he foreknew, he also predestined. And some of you get so hung up on those two words [40:50] that you don’t get to the good part. To be conformed to the image of his son, Jesus Christ. [41:00] That’s the good stuff. Therefore, I know that every single day that I get up, every single day [41:08] that I walk in my calling, every single day I give him my heart through my obedience, I am becoming [41:15] more and more like our great God and King Jesus Christ. What a glorious life.

[41:25] But friend, I’ll tell you, if you want the good, if you want the glory, [41:31] you’ve got to take steps of faith to get there. A few application points. First, [41:37] build trust in God through obedience to God. That’s how it works. [41:43] I learned to trust him more in every step of obedience. Don’t be so rebellious that you say, [41:50] I’ve got to trust him before I’ll obey him. That’s arrogance. Secondly, refuse to waste [41:58] your life in disobedience. I refuse, I refuse to accept the ordinary in my life.

[42:09] I will only live for that which is supernatural. And that is what comes from the hand of God. [42:16] That is the glory of the good that he is working. And that only comes through obedience. Thirdly, [42:23] know that God is before you through every step of faith. What a blessing.

[42:30] There are going, I’m not going to lie to you, there are going to be times in your life

[42:35] where it’s pretty foggy, where it seems like it’s getting dim, [42:42] where you say, I don’t know if I can see what he’s doing. And those are the times when you [42:47] need to consecrate yourself the most because the fog will lift and you will see the good [42:54] and you will experience the glory. But you got to know that he’s before you, [42:59] even when you’re struggling to feel it. Fourthly, remember the gospel as you move with God [43:05] to live in his promises. You never get past the gospel. You never get over the gospel.

[43:13] You never get through the gospel. You’re only ever going to get there by the gospel. [43:18] Keep your eyes on Jesus, friends, because to look anywhere else is less. God is.